


Slate and Mahogany

by houdini74



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Canon Compliant, Committed Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-13
Updated: 2019-03-13
Packaged: 2019-11-17 17:33:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18103190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/houdini74/pseuds/houdini74
Summary: David has some suggestions for decorating Patrick's new apartment.





	Slate and Mahogany

The first thing Patrick had done after moving into his apartment was to get a key for David. After their previous miscommunication, he was happy to see David’s face light up when Patrick gave it to him.

“I want you to be able to come over whenever you want, even if I’m not here.”

“How about when you are here?” David asked suggestively.

“That’s even better,” Patrick replied, leaning forward to kiss him.

A few days later, he came home after a long day at the store. It had been David’s day off and Patrick was secretly hoping that he might find David waiting for him but the apartment was dark and quiet. Switching on the lights, he paused. Something was different. After a few moments, he saw it, a cactus was sitting on the corner of the mantel and the little black and white photo he’d taken of David at the store was leaning against it.

Patrick grinned at the new addition for a moment. The idea of David sneaking in to decorate his apartment when he wasn’t home made him smile. He pulled out his phone and texted David.

“Wanna come over tonight?”

He didn’t say anything about the cactus.

As soon as he came in the door, Patrick saw that David’s eyes were immediately drawn to the mantel. Throughout dinner he could tell that his refusal to acknowledge the change to his decor was making David crazy. Smirking to himself, he was determined to draw things out for as long as possible. After dinner, David stretched out on the couch, laying his head in Patrick’s lap so they could watch a movie on Patrick’s laptop. From the corner of his eye, Patrick could see David repeatedly looking over at the mantel. After his third glance, Patrick couldn’t resist. 

Hiding his smile, Patrick asked, “Is something wrong? You seem distracted.”

He could tell that David didn’t want to draw attention to the cactus if Patrick wasn’t going to mention it. Patrick watched him press his lips together in frustration.

“I...uh...I...I didn’t know you had that picture of me.”

“Mmm hmm. It’s just I know how you feel about interruptions when we’re watching a movie, so if you’re not paying attention, maybe we should restart it?”

David huffed at him in annoyance and stared at the screen, refusing to look away even when Patrick ran his fingers suggestively up David’s arm and along the back of his neck. Chuckling to himself, Patrick bent down to place a kiss on David’s temple. 

In the morning, David was still in the shower when Patrick was leaving for work. Knowing that David would notice, he shifted the cactus and the photo over to the center of the mantel.

When he came back that night, the cactus and the photo had been returned to their original positions. Setting his laptop back on his desk he saw that there was a second cactus beside the lamp. Had he just not noticed it last night, he wondered? Or had David gone out that morning and brought it back before coming into work? Or maybe he’d smuggled it in his overnight bag last night? 

He knew that nothing would make David crazier than if he continued to ignore his decorating efforts. Rather than mentioning the new additions to his decor, he texted David a picture of the new frame he’d gotten for the picture that Alexis had taken of the two of them on Christmas Eve. As he snapped the photo, he made sure that the cactus was displayed prominently in the background.

“Just got this new frame, do you like it?”

After a long wait, David finally responded to his text.

“It’s a solid frame.”

The following night, Patrick counted nine different cacti and succulents in his apartment. 

When David came into the store the next morning, Patrick was standing by the front window examining one of the potted plants they had for sale. 

“I thought I might get a plant for my apartment, what do you think?” he asked.

David grimaced at him. Patrick knew that David was fully aware of the game he was playing. He waited to see if David would say anything about the cacti that were now filling Patrick’s apartment. After a long pause, David responded.

“Are you sure you want something that requires so much watering?”

Patrick laughed and put the plant back on the shelf.

On each of the next few nights, Patrick found that something new had been added to his apartment. One night, he discovered that the fireplace had been filled with candles, the next, it was throw pillows on the couch and the night after that, a block of wood that he assumed was an end table had been added to his living room. 

He still hadn’t mentioned any of the new items to David. 

Patrick had Thursday off and he planned to spend most of the day unpacking his boxes and organizing his cupboards. He was just finishing in the kitchen when there was a knock at the door. Opening it, he was surprised to find a delivery man holding a large box. He laughed when he opened the box to discover four large framed black and white photographs. David clearly wasn’t finished. 

After hanging two of the photos over his bed, he leaned the remaining two on the mantel. Maybe that would be enough to prompt a reaction from David, he thought.

He had just finished placing the photos on the mantel when he heard David come in the door. 

“Nice pictures,” David said knowingly. “Are they new?”

For a brief moment, Patrick thought that maybe David hadn’t ordered the photos after all. Then he saw the corners of David’s mouth twitch as he tried to fight back a smile.

“Mmm hmm. I’ve always liked...the city.” Patrick realized that he had no idea where the photos had been taken.

“It’s lovely this time of year,” David continued. “What’s your favorite part?”

“Oh, I like all of it,” Patrick said vaguely. David was watching him, his lips pursed with amusement and his eyes narrowed.

“How was the store today?” Patrick asked, suddenly desperate to change the subject.

“It was busy. And I missed you.”

David placed his hands on Patrick’s shoulders and leaned forward to kiss him. Patrick responded, his lips parting to David as he pulled them closer together. Smiling, Patrick kissed the corner of David’s jaw before murmuring in his ear, “Wanna show me how much?”

David grinned in response, and he tugged Patrick towards the bedroom.

When he came home on Friday night, Patrick wasn’t sure if David had added anything else to his apartment. He counted the cacti. There were still nine of them. He looked around the apartment carefully. Maybe David had run out of ideas of things to add. Or maybe the photos had been the finishing touch?

Finally, on his second pass through the apartment, he saw it. Hanging on the wall in the kitchen was a framed copy of one of the flyers from their Open Mic Night. David must have saved it, had it framed and hung it on Patrick’s wall. For a moment, all Patrick could do was stop and stare, a smile growing across his face.

As much as he loved him, Patrick would be the first to admit that David wasn’t always the most thoughtful person. He knew that putting other people first wasn’t something that came naturally to David. Seeing the flyer on his wall and knowing that David had thought about how much it would mean to him almost took his breath away.

He texted David. “I need you to come over tonight.”

There was no response to his text but twenty minutes later, he heard David’s key in the lock. He set his bag by the door and came over to where Patrick was still leaning against the stove, looking at the Open Mic flyer. David slipped his arms around Patrick’s waist and rested his chin on his shoulder.

“Do you like it?” he asked softly.

Patrick turned to face David. 

“I love it. Thank you, David.”

He pulled David closer and kissed him gently. As the kiss deepened, Patrick felt David wrap his arms around his neck. After a moment, Patrick leaned back in David’s arms. 

“Thank you for decorating my apartment. Just one thing,” he said firmly. “No more cacti.”

“I think you might need a few more,” David smirked at him. “They really highlight your slate and mahogany color scheme.”

“No more cacti, David.”


End file.
